2025-2026 NFL Season Thread

[BizCat]

Thanks for being terrible, Cowboys.

[BeastCreatureTrapper]

Would anyone really object to just doing away with the Detroit/Dallas games for Thanksgiving? At this point, it just seems like a idea that sounded "okay" in the beginning, until you're suffering through it as a tradition, year after year.

Wouldn't it be more compelling to flex top teams into the Thanksgiving Day slot instead? And, hey, if Detroit and/or Dallas ever got their respective acts together, then they could end up back on a Thanksgiving schedule in that format.

[dcowboy7]

Originally Posted by BeastCreatureTrapper

Would anyone really object to just doing away with the Detroit/Dallas games for Thanksgiving? At this point, it just seems like a idea that sounded "okay" in the beginning, until you're suffering through it as a tradition, year after year.

Wouldn't it be more compelling to flex top teams into the Thanksgiving Day slot instead? And, hey, if Detroit and/or Dallas ever got their respective acts together, then they could end up back on a Thanksgiving schedule in that format.

Problems.

Thanksgiving is a "captive audience" day - people will watch no matter whos on.
Last yrs cowboys thanksgiving game was #1 most watched regular season game & the lions game was #4.
Why burn big games when you can save them for a regular day like they are doing this sunday with mahomes/brady.

You have to take into account the tv angle cause theys pays the $$bills.

Also in a normal yr with fans they want the games set well in advance due the fans going to the game making their plans.
You cant announce a wk before thanksgiving & say your teams game is moving to thanksgiving.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by BeastCreatureTrapper

Would anyone really object to just doing away with the Detroit/Dallas games for Thanksgiving? At this point, it just seems like a idea that sounded "okay" in the beginning, until you're suffering through it as a tradition, year after year.

Wouldn't it be more compelling to flex top teams into the Thanksgiving Day slot instead? And, hey, if Detroit and/or Dallas ever got their respective acts together, then they could end up back on a Thanksgiving schedule in that format.

No the Detroit game is tradition. Detroit started Thanksgiving why pull it. By NFL contract every team is entitled to 1 national game and theirs is Thanksgiving. Dallas wanted to play on Thanksgiving so they started the 4:30pm game. The 3rd game was added due to ppls complaints.

[InBruges]

i wouldnt mind seeing different teams but i agree it would have to be in advance. i dont think tradition is a reason or one of why no changes should happen. theres plenty of things thats a tradition that could use a change. if it stays which it likely will ok. more opponents on this day for these two that we never see would be nice. we do at times see a big game with the 3rd one. i dont think a big game on this day would ever be a problem. some Thursdays could use that more tbh.

[BeastCreatureTrapper]

Originally Posted by dcowboy7

Problems.

Thanksgiving is a "captive audience" day - people will watch no matter whos on.
Last yrs cowboys thanksgiving game was #1 most watched regular season game & the lions game was #4.
Why burn big games when you can save them for a regular day like they are doing this sunday with mahomes/brady.

You have to take into account the tv angle cause theys pays the $$bills.

Also in a normal yr with fans they want the games set well in advance due the fans going to the game making their plans.
You cant announce a wk before thanksgiving & say your teams game is moving to thanksgiving.

I can't argue with any of that. To your point, and as I joked earlier, we're ultimately going to watch whatever they put on, and the games played usually are (at least a little) better than how they looked coming in on paper.

Great reply with solid points.

Originally Posted by R3P0

No the Detroit game is tradition. Detroit started Thanksgiving why pull it. By NFL contract every team is entitled to 1 national game and theirs is Thanksgiving. Dallas wanted to play on Thanksgiving so they started the 4:30pm game. The 3rd game was added due to ppls complaints.

Originally Posted by InBruges

i wouldnt mind seeing different teams but i agree it would have to be in advance. i dont think tradition is a reason or one of why no changes should happen. theres plenty of things thats a tradition that could use a change. if it stays which it likely will ok. more opponents on this day for these two that we never see would be nice. we do at times see a big game with the 3rd one. i dont think a big game on this day would ever be a problem. some Thursdays could use that more tbh.

Yeah, tradition alone is never a reason to keep doing something. See "circumcision in the U.S".... *LOL*

But, it's hard to argue with the ratings mentioned by "cowboy" and, in the grand scheme of fan complaints, I can't muster that much energy toward the Thanksgiving Day slate....not when the other Thursday night games are a much bigger problem, in general.

[Tony208]

America's team plays on Thanksgiving. Enough said.

[Batman1980]

Ravens moved to Tuesday, rumblings now are Cowboys-Ravens will play on Monday night the following week.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by Tony208

America's team plays on Thanksgiving. Enough said.

When did the Patriots start playing yearly on Thanksgiving?

[Tony208]

Originally Posted by R3P0

When did the Patriots start playing yearly on Thanksgiving?

Patriots aren't relevant anymore. Tom Brady isn't there.

[Samus Aran]

Who's going to have a better game? Trubisky or Griffin?

[Batman1980]

Griffin.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by Tony208

Patriots aren't relevant anymore. Tom Brady isn't there.

Yeah and Dallas isn't Americas team no matter how much they try to shove that nickname down Americas throats.

[Batman1980]

I haven't thought that since the 90's.

[Tony208]

Originally Posted by R3P0

Yeah and Dallas isn't Americas team no matter how much they try to shove that nickname down Americas throats.

Ratings say otherwise. They're America's team no matter what the haters say.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by Tony208

Ratings say otherwise. They're America's team no matter what the haters say.

Really you would think so but Dallas has 2 of the lowest rated games this season.

MNF late TEN-DEN ESPN 4.6 (Lowest of the week/2nd lowest of the year)
Single ATL-DAL (23%); SF-NYJ (17%); WSH-AZ (17%) FOX 9.0 (Split)
Late DH DAL-SEA (72%) FOX 11.8 (Highest of the week)
Single CLE-DAL (36%); NYG-LAR (27%) FOX 9.0 (Split)
Late DH NYG-DAL (86%) CBS 12.2 (Highest of the week)
MNF ARIZ-DAL ESPN 6.7 (Lowest rating of the week)
SNF DAL-PHI NBC 9.5
Late DH PIT-DAL (93%) CBS 12.4 (Highest of the week)

At this point if you factor out the splits thats 3-4 weeks where a Dallas game didnt get above a 7 rating. No Longer Americas team. PIT, KC, and NO have no games this year where any of them dropped below a 7

[Batman1980]

Well really, how many people want to see our QB of the week and our horrific defense get blown out? Even for haters it probably gets a bit boring and repetitive after awhile.

Jerry horrifically underestimated how much Dak Prescott means to this franchise.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

Well really, how many people want to see our QB of the week and our horrific defense get blown out? Even for haters it probably gets a bit boring and repetitive after awhile.

Jerry horrifically underestimated how much Dak Prescott means to this franchise.

Considering the MNF game was week 1 and Dallas had Dak id say it does not matter, point is Dallas is no longer Americas team

[dcowboy7]

Again ask tv....

7 teams got the max 5 national tv games:
bal - gb - kc - lar - ne = were all above .500 last yr.

Only 2 that werent:
- tampa bay but they got brady
- dallas

This comes up in other forums too so i saved the article:

https://frontofficesports.com/dallas...ricas-team-tv/

You cant go by ratings this yr cause dallas is lousy.

2019 = dallas was in 3 of the top 5 most watched.
2018 = 4 of the top 10 most watched.
2017 = 6 of the top 10 most watched.

From 2010-2019 Cowboys games on SNF averaged over 20 million viewers a league-leading 30 times.
The Pats rank a distant No. 2 with 20 games averaging more than 20 million viewers.

Four of ESPN’s Top 10 most watched “Monday Night Football” games since 2006 have featured the Cowboys.

I rest my case.

[rick88]

I don't care about ratings, but what I do know is that as someome who is not a Dallas fan, I'm sick and tired of them being shoved down my throat with so many of their games on Fox at 4PM EST Sunday and Primetime as well. It's great if you're a Cowboys fan, but not so much if you aren't.

Same goes for college football as certain teams games are shown all the time, regardless of how hapless their opponent is. Too many games are blowouts and I don't know about anyone else but I don't want to watch those kind of games.